


Searching For Family

by BSBLover2538



Category: Backstreet Boys, Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Discovery, F/M, Family, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Meet the Family, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 21:11:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20712602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BSBLover2538/pseuds/BSBLover2538
Summary: After losing her mom, Tori Menendez does a heritage test hoping to find out something about her biological father. She ends up finding him, and so much more, finding the family she had been searching for since her mom passed.





	Searching For Family

Tori looked around the locker room, seeing that it was quiet. Her hands were trembling, and she was looking at an email that would be the most important thing in her life. She looked at her watch, and hoped that Sarah would be here soon. She needed her best friend on the roster, and wouldn’t open the email without her there. 

“There you are Tori, I told Liv that I should have checked the locker room first” Sarah rolled her eyes at her tag partner’s antics, and Tori chuckled softly. Those two were her best friends, along with Ruby, but she was closest to Sarah. 

“Thank god, I am like shaking right now. This could change everything. I have no idea who my father is, so this ancestry test could tell me who he is” Tori looked up at Sarah, who sat down next to Tori and squeezed her hand. 

“Come on, open it up, I know you have been wanting to know. I am here for you” Tori sighed and opened the email. She clicked on the link, and logged into MyHeritage. She scrolled down, and began reading through her ancestry. Most of it wasn’t a surprise to her, but some of it had to have come from her biological father. 

“Oh...my….god” she whispered, and Sarah’s eyes grew wide seeing the name under possible relatives. Tori looked over at the older woman, and blinked at her. 

“Is that who I think it is?” Sarah asked, and Tori nodded wordlessly. She immediately opened another tab and punched his name into Google. 

“Oh shit, what the hell are you gonna do?” Sarah’s head ran through all the implications of who Tori’s father was, and none of them were good. 

“I have no clue. Says here they are touring right now, and will be in Cali in August. Should I try and reach out beforehand, or wait until the concert? They will be out of the country between May and June” Tori bit her lip, as she did some research, and cross referenced their schedule. 

“I don’t know. Looks like he’s got a wife and two kids, and I highly doubt he remembers getting your mom pregnant, or knew that your mom was pregnant” Sarah was still stunned that Tori’s father could potentially be a mega pop star, and part of one of the biggest boy bands in history. 

“And I don’t want to seem like one of his stalker fans. I imagine any of the guys may have gotten accused of fathering a child outside of their marriages. Let’s just go to the concert together in LA, and go from there” Tori sighed as she shut her computer down, and walked to catering with Sarah. She had a match that night with Becky, and needed to get her head on straight.

As Tori picked at her food, she thought about the last 24 years. Her mother had never been able to tell her about her father, and she knew she had her mom’s last name. The only reason she had done the MyHeritage test was so she could get a head start on possibly locating her father. Sarah watched her best friend try to wrap her head around the bombshell she had been given. Tori smiled softly to herself, finally knowing the other half of where her DNA came from. 

“Wonder what he would think of his daughter being a wrestler. Forever thankful for Mom pushing me to do what I loved, and that I found WWE so young” Tori thought as she wandered back to the locker room to get ready for her match.

Across the country, Howie D was getting ready for another Vegas show. His cell pinged with an email, and he opened it, thinking it was another business email. Seeing MyHeritage pop up got him curious. He scrolled with his thumb, and his eyes widened. He blinked twice, before sitting back in the chair, shocked. 

“D, you okay there man?” AJ looked over at his best friend, who was staring at his phone with a far away look on his face. 

“No, just got an email from MyHeritage. Seems like I have a relative in their system now. A daughter” Howie looked up at AJ, who took the phone from Howie, reading the email himself. His jaw dropped, and he immediately hugged Howie. 

“What the hell are you gonna do man?” he asked as he pulled away. Howie shook his head, trying to remember back to when his daughter may have been born. 

“Try and find her I guess. Gonna look her up on Google now” Howie pulled his computer to him, and opened the search engine up. His eyes widened as he realized exactly what his daughter did for a living. 

“She wrestles for WWE” Howie looked some more, and found out her birthdate. He tried to think back, to 9 months before that. His eyes widened, and he looked at AJ. 

“I know who her mother is. I remember that night” he buried his head in his hands. It was one of the times he had had sex with a groupie, and he never thought that he would end up having a kid by someone he barely remembered the name to. 

“Shit D, I would have expected this from me or Nick, not you. I thought you had first had sex with Leigh, saved yourself” AJ was stunned that Howie had had sex outside of marriage. 

“Dude, do you not remember the Ellen interview? The only one of us who hadn’t had sex with a groupie was Kev, and that’s because he’s had Kris the entire time. I had had sex plenty of times before Leigh. Speaking of my wife, what the fuck do I tell her?” Howie sighed, scrubbing his face. 

“The truth, and tell her that you honestly didn’t know about this girl. What’s her name anyway?” AJ sat next to Howie, rubbing his back. 

“Victoria ‘Tori’ Menendez. She’s 24, which means she was born in 95. Must have been when we got back here in the states. I remember going to a bar a few times around the corner from my place at the time” Howie bit his lip as he searched Google some more. 

“Alright, she left an email, you can get in contact with her if you want to. But first, talk to Leigh. You need to be upfront with her or she’ll never trust you. Tonight’s the last night on this run. Talk to her tomorrow when you get home” AJ clapped Howie’s shoulder, and walked out of the room, leaving Howie to his racing thoughts. 

The next afternoon, Tori was in Houston, unaware that Howie was touching down in Florida, a pit in his stomach. He knew he had to talk to Leigh, but he really didn’t want to have this conversation. As he walked into his home, he had to smile. James and Holden crashed into him, hugging him tightly. 

“Hey guys, Dad’s home for a few weeks” Howie hugged both his boys, and kissed Leigh passionately. 

“Finally” James grinned, and Howie chuckled softly. Leigh could see something off with her husband, having known him for 19 years now. Howie looked at his wife and mouthed “Later please” and Leigh nodded. She wondered what was going on, but soon got swept into the homecoming celebrations with her boys. 

Several hours later, Howie was in bed with Leigh, and he sighed softly. The older man grabbed his phone, and opened the email back up. Howie looked at his wife, and handed the phone to her. 

“I need to talk to you about this. I swear I had no idea until yesterday afternoon” Howie said as Leigh looked at the email. Her eyes widened, and she rubbed her forehead. 

“Explain” was all she said, and Howie winced at the look in her eyes. 

“I got the email from MyHeritage yesterday afternoon. I didn’t know anything about her before this. Thinking back, I do remember her mother, but it’s been 24 years. I had forgotten all about that night. I wasn’t even sure if we used protection that night” Howie hung his head, as thoughts raced through Leigh’s. 

She couldn’t believe that he had been that irresponsible. Leigh knew that Howie had had sex before their marriage, hell neither of them were virgins on their wedding day. But she also knew that Howie would have taken responsibility for a child that he knew was his. She sighed and looked at her husband. 

“What are you going to do?” she asked, and Howie rubbed his face. 

“I guess get in contact with her. Are you okay with that?” he looked up, and Leigh closed her eyes. 

“She’s probably been looking for you for years. I wonder where she got started with the wrestling though” Howie had explained what he found out about her. 

“I’m going to go out on a limb and say her mother. I know Nick likes WWE so I’ll see if he knows anything about her. I’m going to email her tomorrow, is that okay?” Leigh sighed and nodded. 

“Do we tell James and Holden?” Howie groaned and bit his lip. 

“Let me talk to her, and we will see what happens from there” Leigh nodded, and the two settled down in bed. 

Out in Texas, Tori had just finished up her match with Ember, and she was getting ready to head back to the hotel. She had downloaded some Backstreet Boys’ music to her phone, and was listening to the songs. Tori’s eyes widened when she heard how high her father’s voice could go. 

“Damn I wish I had inherited the singing talent” she thought to herself. Tori’s voice was like a songbird drowning in tar, and she refused to sing outside of her room or shower. She got back to the hotel, and put on mindless tv, while stalking Howie’s and the Boys’ social media. Tori had to smile at the photos of her half brothers, and got her first view of her new stepmother. Her father was not blind, and even Tori could see that. 

The next morning dawned, and Tori rubbed her eyes. She stumbled into the bathroom, and showered before getting dressed for the day. The young woman groaned realizing that she would be getting on a plane today, and heading for Florida for a show. Tori hated the constant travel, but had been riding the grind for nearly two years now. 

“God my phone needs to shut up” she growled to herself as it dinged for the tenth time in a few minutes. She grabbed her phone and swiped through her social media, clearing the notifications. Next, Tori went through her emails, answering the important ones, and deleting the spam. One email jumped out at her, and her throat went dry. 

“What?” she whispered, as her thumb poked the screen, opening the email. Her vision blurred with tears as she read the email, having to swipe her eyes a couple of times. Tori blinked, and reread the email once, twice, three times. She looked at the screen in disbelief. 

Tori, 

I know this is 24 years late, but I’m your dad. I promise you that I had no idea you existed, or I would have been there for you from the beginning. I am reaching out to see if you want anything to do with me. If you don’t, that is okay. If you are like me, you already know everything about me. I’m constantly on the road, so if you want to get ahold of me, email is the best way. Just email me back through this email, if you want to get to know me. Hope to hear from you soon. 

Howie Dorough

Tori was frozen. She didn’t know what to think. The young woman shook her head, and reread it once more. She wiped her eyes, and sat down on the bed. Her hands were shaking, and she typed out a text to Sarah, needing her best friend. Five minutes later, her door blew open, and Sarah ran in. 

“Look” was all Tori said as she held her phone out to the older woman. Sarah’s eyes widened as she read the email, and she looked at her best friend. 

“What are you going to do?” Sarah asked curiously, and Tori bit her lip. 

“I want to email him. It’s been a year since Mom’s been gone, and I have no one. I want family again” Sarah had been a rock for Tori through the loss of her mom. That spurred her to find her biological father more than anything, the want for family. 

“Then do it. Talk to him, tell him about you. See what happens” Sarah hugged Tori, then left, having to go catch her flight. Tori cursed, and realized that her flight was in a couple hours, and she needed to get to the airport. She quickly got her bags back together, and left the hotel. Her mind kept drifting to the email, and once she was settled in the airport waiting for her flight to board, she opened it back up, and hit reply. 

Howie,

To say I was stunned to get an email from you was an understatement. I am actually on my way to Florida today to do a series of shows. I will be in Florida until next Monday night. I know you and your family live there; I’d like to see you if I could. I’ll be in the Orlando area on Wednesday and Thursday. Let me know if that is okay. Reach me on this email, I’m always on my phone. 

Tori

The young woman sent the email, her stomach in knots. She knew it was brave to request a face to face talk, but she was only in Florida for a week, and wasn’t sure when she would get the chance again. Tori boarded her flight, and distracted herself for the next two hours with a movie. Once she landed in Florida, and took her phone off airplane mode, her phone dinged with a new email. She saw it was from Howie, and her breath caught in her throat. 

Tori, 

I would love to meet you. There is a small restaurant that I love where I am hardly noticed. I’ll send you the address. Feel free to bring a friend with you if that makes you more comfortable. Your schedule is probably nuts, so doing lunch is completely fine. Hope to see you in a couple of days. 

Howie 

Two hours away, Howie was blinking at his phone in shock. He had never expected Tori to respond, much less want to see him. Her reasons made sense though. Howie immediately showed the email to Leigh, who smiled at her husband. She loved that he didn’t hide things from her, and had even gotten her approval for the email he had sent Tori. 

“Go, meet her. Good job telling her that she could bring a friend. Can’t wait to hear about her” Leigh was still a bit cautious about this whole thing, but trusted her husband. 

Howie kissed his wife, and they settled back down in their normal routine. The next couple of days passed by quickly, and soon Wednesday came around. Tori and Howie had decided to meet at the restaurant at noon, and Tori was bringing Sarah with her. Howie made his way over to the restaurant, butterflies in his stomach. 

“I hope this goes well” he said to himself, as he opened the door to the restaurant. He settled down in a booth, and waited for his daughter to show up. 

Tori’s stomach was in knots, and she nearly had a panic attack on the way to the restaurant. She had gotten an email from Howie to give the hostess his last name, and he would be waiting for her. Sarah got her into the restaurant, and dropped Howie’s last name. The two followed the hostess, and soon Howie came into view. 

“Hi there Tori” Howie stood up, knowing which one was his daughter. She had his dark hair and brown eyes, and looked a lot like him. He smiled, and Tori relaxed minutely. The two shook hands, and she introduced Sarah to Howie. 

“Thanks for doing this. I know we literally just found out about each other, but I’m rarely in Florida, so I hopped on this chance. How are you Howie?” Tori looked at her father, who smiled widely at her. 

“I’m good, very happy to be meeting you. Tell me about you” the three ordered their drinks and food, and Tori opened up to her father. She explained about her childhood, her mom, finding wrestling, and just everything that had happened the last 24 years. 

“Tori, I am so sorry to hear about your mom. Please know that if I had known about you, I would have been there. I can’t imagine how difficult that must have been as an only child. I lost my dad some years back, but I had my mom and my siblings with me, along with my brothers” Howie was heartbroken to hear about Tori’s mom, and hated that she had been alone in the last year. 

“I wasn’t truly alone. I had Sarah and my wrestling family. But Mom’s death spurred me to find you. I want family again, I don’t have anyone really” Tori wiped a tear away, and Sarah wrapped her arm around her best friend. 

Howie, Sarah, and Tori continued talking throughout the meal. Howie asked where her hotel was, and bit his lip. He shot a quick text to Leigh, who responded almost immediately. 

“Do….do you want to meet Leigh and the boys?” Howie asked hesitantly, and Tori stopped short. Her thoughts raced, as she thought about the implications of that. 

“Who on your side knows about me?” she asked in response, and Howie looked at her. 

“Only Leigh and I, why?” Howie was a bit puzzled by the question. 

“Howie, do you really want me showing up randomly, and telling your sons that I am their half sister? That won’t go over well. You need to tell them about me, and let them come to you, wanting to meet me. Let’s exchange phone numbers, and we can Skype for now. If the boys want to meet me, we can do it that way for now. I’ll be back in Florida in a couple of months. I always take a week off in early July, and if the boys are comfortable, I’ll come down then” Tori looked at Howie, who nodded in agreement with her words. 

“I understand. We will do Skype for now, and Leigh and I will tell the boys about you. Can I tell my family and my brothers?” Howie wanted to take this at Tori’s pace. 

“Family yes, but I want to be there when you tell your brothers. I am going to the Staples Center show, so I want to meet them then” Howie smiled at the thought of his daughter being at one of his shows, along with his wife and sons. 

“That works. I’ll tell the boys they can’t tell their cousins. Alright, I know you probably have to go. Text me soon, and I do love you Tori” Howie looked at his daughter, who smiled softly at him. 

“Love you too” Tori wanted to say Dad, but thought it would be too awkward. Howie smiled slightly. 

“Call me whatever you want Tori, Howie or Dad, it doesn’t matter to me” Tori hugged him tightly, and Sarah grinned watching the two of them. 

“Bye Dad, I’ll text you soon” Howie brightened, and kissed her forehead as the two separated. 

The two soon started texting, and Skyping. Howie and Leigh sat James and Holden down, explaining about their sister. Both boys were shocked, and James took a bit to want to meet his sister, but soon enough, Tori was building a relationship with her stepmother and brothers. Leigh was heartbroken to hear about Tori’s mom’s passing, and she offered her own number to Tori, if she ever wanted to talk about female stuff. Tori was surprised and touched by the offer, and she quickly formed a welcoming bond with Leigh. 

“Tori, you are in Vegas this week right?” Howie texted his daughter one night, and the young woman’s eyes lit up. It had been a month since she had seen Howie face to face. She flopped back onto the bed, and smiled texting him back. 

“Yes, want to come see me wrestle? I have a match Tuesday night. Would love to have you there, meet my friends” Tori grinned, and whooped seeing the response. The two solidified their plans, and Tori fell asleep with a smile on her face. 

Three days later, Tori was bouncing waiting for her father’s car to show up. A few minutes later, she ran to hug Howie tightly. The older man grinned as he wrapped his arms around his daughter for the first time in a month. 

“Hey baby girl, how are you?” Howie asked, and Tori happily spoke to him as they made their way into the arena. 

Howie still had a hard time believing that his daughter was a wrestler. He had gone to Nick, and gotten a brief overview of what had been going on in the WWE world, and learned that his daughter portrayed a heel wrestler. 

“Who are you facing tonight?” Howie asked, as they settled down to get some food. 

“Ember again, we are in a feud right now. Hoping to go for the women’s title soon. That’s a dream for me, to get it just once” Tori smiled as she dug into her food. Howie smiled, and dug into his own meal, before looking at his daughter again, question on his face. 

“Tori, what exactly is a heel wrestler? Nick told me you were one, but I have no idea what it means” the young woman smiled softly and cleared her throat before looking at her dad. 

“It means I am a “bad guy”. I do stuff to get booed and I take easy ways to win. There are faces, which are the good guys, and heels in wrestling. You will see what I mean more tonight. Just know that I expect the boos and jeers I am going to get from the crowd. It means I am doing my job” Howie nodded, and went back to eating his lunch, enjoying the time with Tori. 

“Holy shit, what is Howie D doing here?” a male voice spoke, and Tori rolled her eyes. 

“Can it dude” Tori looked up at Seth Rollins who grinned at her. 

“Nope, now how do you know him?” Seth sat down next to Tori, and looked at Howie. 

“Seth, this is my father, Dad, this is Seth, he is usually on RAW. Why are you here?” Tori glared playfully at the older man. 

“Vince asked me to show up tonight, dunno why” Seth replied, as he stared at Howie in awe. The older man chuckled softly, and stuck his hand out. 

“Good to meet you Seth, guessing you are a fan of me and the boys?” Seth could only nod dumbly as he shook Howie’s hand. 

“Yes, been listening to you guys for years” Seth beamed, and the three got to talking. Soon Seth had to go, and Tori took Howie around, introducing him to her friends. Howie loved getting the time with his daughter, and getting to see where she worked. As the time for the show neared, Tori got her father set up ringside. 

“I can’t acknowledge you at all Dad, since I’m a heel. Just know that I love you and that I am so happy you are here” Tori looked at Howie, and hugged him tightly. 

“I know baby girl, and I can’t wait to see you tonight. Good luck, and I’ll see you after the show” Howie smiled, and watched Tori disappear backstage. 

The show started, and Howie became enthralled. He had watched a bit of wrestling, but to see it live was something totally different. As he heard his daughter’s entrance music, he focused on her. The match started, and Howie watched intently. His daughter may not have inherited his musical talent, but damn was she creative in her own way. 

As the bell rang, and Tori was pinned, Howie still cheered. He hated that his daughter had lost, but knew that it was part of the feud. Tori made her way backstage after glaring and mouthing off to the crowd, pushing Ember off the ropes. Howie just shook his head, knowing that he couldn’t get angry with Tori, understanding what she meant now about her being a heel. 

“So proud of you baby girl” Howie hugged Tori an hour later, as he was walking towards his car to head back to Planet Hollywood. 

“Thanks Dad. I’ll let you know when I get the week off in July. I want to meet Leigh, James, and Holden. And then a month later, I want to go to my first BSB concert, and meet your bandmates. How does that work?” Tori looked at Howie, smiling softly. 

“Perfect baby girl. Leigh has been anxious to meet you, and Holden is bouncing off the walls. James is looking forward to it as well” Howie kissed his daughter’s cheek, and after saying goodnight, got in his car. Tori made her way to the hotel to wind down for the night. 

Tori sighed as she realized her dad would be overseas for the next two months. She promised to keep up with him over email, and kept an eye on the Boys’ and her dad’s social media. The fact that he was doing what he loved, and got the chance to see the world, just as she did, made Tori extremely happy, and proud of her father. 

“I miss him a lot today” Tori sighed. It was Father’s Day, and Howie was in England. Tori groaned, and flipped on the TV. She was out in Seattle, and had Smackdown in two days. Her mind wandered, and she just zoned out in front of the TV. Her phone rang, and it was a Skype call. Tori quickly answered it, and flopped onto her belly on the bed. 

“Hey Dad! Isn’t it almost show time?” Tori did the math, and realized it was nearly 9pm in England. Howie smiled softly and nodded. 

“Tori, it's an off day. I have been busy with group stuff all day, but I knew I needed to do this. I know you haven’t been in my life for long, but I love you Victoria with all my heart. I am so grateful to be your dad, and be there for you. I am so sorry your mom isn’t here as well, but I will do my best to be the best dad I can. Love you so much Victoria Ann Menendez” Howie wiped a tear, as he spoke to his daughter. 

Tori wiped a few tears before she replied. “Happy Father’s Day Dad, and thank you for that. I love you as well, and I am so glad we found each other. Cannot wait to see you in three weeks, and meet the rest of my immediate family. Kick ass tomorrow and the rest of the leg” 

Howie and Tori conversed for another few minutes, before Howie had to go again. Tori signed off, and smiled. That entire conversation had brightened her day, and she had a new spring in her step. She decided to go out with Liv, Ruby, and Sarah for the day, exploring Seattle. Tori could not wait to be in Florida in three weeks. 

As the tour wore on, Howie was anxious to get back home. He loved being overseas, but the idea of his whole family together for the first time was really wanting him to be home. As he looked at AJ, he smiled softly. The two were getting ready for their final show in Saudi Arabia, and Howie was almost twitchy with excitement. 

“What’s going on D?” AJ smiled at the older man. 

“Just looking forward to being home. Can’t wait to see Leigh and the boys” Howie responded, and AJ nodded softly. He was missing Rochelle and his girls badly. 

“What are you doing over the break? Did you ever meet up with Tori or whatever her name was?” AJ never bothered Howie after that first initial talk when Howie found out about Tori. 

“Yes, we’ve been emailing. She’s insanely busy, so I’m not sure when we will meet up” Howie smoothly replied. He didn’t want to spill out that Tori and he had already met up, and gotten close. Howie wanted to keep the secret, since Tori wanted to meet the guys on her own in LA. 

“Good, I’m glad to hear that. Alright we better get done, I really don’t want to have to deal with being later than Kevin again. I swear he pouted when he realized that he wasn’t the last one in the prayer circle last time” Howie snorted as he finished getting ready. AJ grinned back, and the two got backstage first. 

Eighteen hours later, Howie was sitting around the airport, waiting for Tori’s flight to get in. His flight had brought him to Florida an hour ago, and he had to wait another hour for Tori to get in. He looked down at his phone, texting Leigh, when a voice had him looking up, a wide smile on his face. 

“Over here Tori!” he called, and Tori slammed into him, hugging him tightly. The reunited father and daughter hugged for a bit, before separating, Howie kissing Tori’s cheek. 

“Hey baby girl, ready to meet your family?” Howie smiled, and Tori nodded eagerly. She had regularly skyped Leigh and the boys while on the road, and she couldn’t wait to meet them all in person. 

The two got in their Uber, and made their way to Howie’s home. He had texted Leigh that they were on their way and Tori’s knee started bouncing. Howie leaned over and put a hand on it, looking up at her. 

“It will be fine baby girl. James and Holden can’t wait to meet you, and Leigh has been dying to see you as well. Just relax” Howie kissed her temple, and Tori calmed down. The trip was over quickly, and Tori stood next to Howie in front of his home. 

“Come on Dad, let’s go” Tori smiled and Howie nodded, opening his front door. He grinned seeing the Welcome Home sign his boys made him, and his heart melted seeing Tori’s name on it as well. 

“I’m home!” Howie called, and he told Tori to brace herself. All of a sudden two missiles shot around the corner, and slammed into Tori and Howie. Tori looked down to see Holden looking up at her. 

“Hi Tori!” he chirped, and the older woman grinned, pulling Holden into her arms. 

“Hi Holden!” she hugged him tightly, and Holden wrapped his arms around her neck, kissing her cheek. She looked up, and saw Leigh coming in the foyer area. Tori set Holden down, and James came over. 

“Hi there James! How are you?” she asked, as she high fived her younger brother. James smiled. 

“Good Tori” he hugged her, and pulled away. Tori stood back up, and looked at her stepmother. Leigh opened her arms, and Tori walked right into them. 

“So happy to finally meet you” the two women hugged, and Leigh kissed the top of Tori’s head, before pulling away. Howie watched with the widest grin on his face as his family was fully together for the first time ever. 

The family settled down to get to know one another better, and Tori slipped into the pool to spend time with her brothers. Leigh and Howie got a bit of time to themselves, trusting Tori to keep an eye on James and Holden. Over the course of the week, Tori had the time of her life. She felt like she had been a part of the family forever, and it was exactly what she had been missing. 

“What do you think is going to happen in a month when I meet the rest of the guys and family?” Tori asked Howie one night after the boys had gone to bed. The older man groaned and rubbed his eyes. 

“I am going to get a ration of shit from the guys for not telling them about you and you are probably going to get 20 questions after they work over their shock. But it should go over okay. I just love that you want to see me perform. The fact that I will have all three of my kids there will be amazing. Are you bringing anyone with you?” Howie looked over at Tori, who bit her lip and smiled a bit. 

“Thinking Sarah and Seth. I know he hasn’t ever been able to get to a concert, and it would make his world” Howie grinned softly, having expected both names from his daughter. 

“That’s fine Tori, I’ll make sure security knows. Just prepare Seth please, that’s all I’m saying. Do not spring that on him” Howie advised her, and Tori nodded emphatically. 

“Will do Dad” the two snuggled down and watched some old wrestling together, Tori teaching her dad about her world. 

The goodbyes were difficult, but Tori promised to get out to Florida again as soon as she could, and she reminded James and Holden that they would see her in three weeks in Cali. That brightened both boys up, and James shyly looked up at her. 

“We can still Skype right?” he asked, and Tori bent down, hugging her brother. 

“Yes James, of course. I love our Skype dates, and who else is gonna quiz me on BSB and wrestling?” Tori had gotten her brothers into wrestling, and both James and Holden loved learning about it. 

Leigh hugged her stepdaughter tightly, and Tori reciprocated the hug. The two women pulled away, wiping tears.

“Stay safe Tori, and I’ll see you soon. My phone is always on if you want to talk love” Leigh kissed her forehead, and Tori grabbed her bags.

“Love all four of you, and I’ll see you soon. We will Skype soon, and watch for me on Tuesdays” Howie hugged his daughter, before helping her into her Uber. As the car drove away, he wiped tears, and pulled his wife and sons to him. This was the first time he had ever had to watch one of his children leave, and he hated it. 

Tori got back into the grind of wrestling again, and Howie set off to begin the US leg of the Boys’ tour. Tori kept up with what was going on, and grinned every time she saw the sold out crowd in the arenas. Leigh, James, and Holden all kept up with Tori, Skyping and watching Smackdown. Howie and Tori would talk to each other on the phone when Howie could get away. The three were together on the tour with Howie, and enjoying seeing the US. It was now the day of the Staples Center concert, and Tori was ready to pull her hair out. 

“SETH! Calm the fuck down man! You need to cool it” Tori growled as she grabbed Seth’s arm. The older man glared at her, but wilted at her look. He had met up with Sarah and Tori to go to the concert, and was acting like a schoolgirl. 

“But...but” he tried, and Tori gave him the look. 

“You need to be calm, my dad told me that you needed to be calm. Come on man, deep breaths. We need to leave, I have to meet my dad and stepmom and brothers soon” Tori dragged the two of them to the car. They had the day off from the house show grind, and all three were looking forward to the night. Soon, the Staples Center came into view, and Tori directed the Uber to where Howie had told her to meet up with him. He was standing and smiling as Seth, Sarah, and Tori got out of the car. 

“Guys! Over here!” he called, and Tori’s eyes brightened. She ran over, and Howie swept her into his arms, hugging her tightly. After a minute, he pulled away, and smiled at Seth and Sarah, shaking their hands. 

“Good to see you both again. Come on, everyone is here, and in the family room. I’ll get you back there” Howie handed each of them lanyards, and the three slipped them around their heads. They followed Howie to the family room, and the older man took a deep breath, before opening the door. 

“TORI!” Holden yelped as Howie came in, with Tori right behind him, and Sarah and Seth next to her. 

“Hey Squirt!” she bent down, as Holden crashed into her for a hug. All around, the silence was deafening, as the others saw 2 girls and a guy they didn’t know come in the room. 

“Ummm….” Brian looked at Howie, who grinned, as he wrapped his arm around Leigh. 

“Guys, I’d like to introduce you all to my daughter Victoria. She is the one holding Holden. Next to her is her best friend Sarah, and her good friend Seth. I found out about her back in April, and we have been getting to know each other since. Tonight is her first ever BSB show, and she wanted to meet you guys” Howie smiled as James walked over and got a hug from his older sister. 

“Were you ever going to say anything if she decided not to come tonight?” Kevin asked, and Howie leveled a glare at him. 

“I was ready to say something after we first met, but Tori wanted to wait. Tonight was her idea, not mine” Howie bit out, and Tori smiled softly, going to her dad, and squeezing his shoulder. 

“Dad, can you just introduce me to all of them? I could ask Seth, but I think he’s comatose right now” Tori looked over at her friend, who was stunned silent. Howie chuckled, and went around the room, pointing out who was who. 

Nick and Lauren got up first, bringing Odin with them. The toddler smiled up at Tori and waved. Nick grinned seeing the three wrestlers. 

“Well now I understand Howie’s sudden interest in WWE” he joked, and Tori smiled as she played with Odin. 

“Yep, been with them since I turned 20, and was sent up to the main roster 2 years ago. Gunning for the Women’s Championship right now” Tori saw Ava coming up to her and she bent down. 

“Hi! You have tattoos like Mommy and Daddy do!” Tori had a few tattoos on her arms, and one on her shoulder. She looked over at AJ and Rochelle, smiling. Her focus went back to Ava, and she grinned. 

“Yes I do Ava, just like your Mom and Dad do” Lyric came up, and held her hand out for a high five, which Tori gave her happily. The other kids started swarming her, and she quickly had an in with all of them. Baylee looked at her, and smiled softly. 

“Not the oldest anymore. Get to pass that baton off to you, good luck with that” Tori glared at him, and Baylee smirked. 

The adults all got to know Tori, Sarah, and Seth as well, once Seth shook off his starry eyed look. Soon it was time for Baylee to get ready for his meet and greet, so Brian, Leighanne, and Bay all left. Tori sat down and got comfortable talking to the wives, along with the kids. 

“Where are you guys sitting tonight?” Rochelle asked, and Sarah smiled. 

“We are sitting in the second tier of seats, facing the stage, so in the back of the arena” Sarah replied, as she tossed a ball back to Odin. 

“Want to sit with us tonight?” Lauren offered, and the three looked at each other. Tori bit her lip, and nodded. 

“If it wouldn’t be a hassle. I know I could have gotten good seats from Dad, but I didn’t want to take advantage of that” Tori didn’t want to use Howie’s fame to get front row seats. 

“Tori, you are one of us now, you can get back here anytime you want to. Come on, let’s go get food while the guys do their stuff. Mind helping us out with the kiddos a bit?” Leigh pulled her stepdaughter up, and hugged her. 

“Nope, love hanging with the kids. Seth, teach the boys one wrestling move, and I will sic Dad on you, trust me” Tori leveled a glare at Seth, who nodded. James, Mason, Max, and Holden all pouted. 

“Tori! So not fair!” James whined, and Leigh growled. 

“James Hoke, what is the rule about whining?” James shut up and they all made their way to the nearby restaurant. Seth kept the boys occupied, while Sarah played with Ava and Lyric. Tori was talking to the other wives about Howie, and what life was like on the road, and being married to a Backstreet Boy. Dinner passed smoothly, and they all made their way back to the arena. Seth and Sarah raided the merch booth together, while Tori got settled in the special area that the wives and kids sat in. 

“Damn this is an amazing view” she whispered, and Kristin chuckled softly. 

“Yes it is, love getting to see this every single night. So happy that you and Howie found each other by the way and welcome to the family” Kristin leaned over and hugged Tori, who happily returned it. 

“Thanks Kristin, that means a lot” she grinned and groaned as she saw Seth coming her way. The boy looked like he was a poster boy for the Boy’s current tour. 

“So how much is down the toilet this time?” Seth glared at her, and adjusted his hat. He had gotten everything he could, and Sarah just rolled her eyes. 

“I tried Tori, but it was useless. He was like a kid in a candy store. The guy behind the table’s eyes widened so much that he was bugging when Seth finally told him he was done” Tori just shook her head and hugged Seth close. 

The three settled down as it got close to Baylee’s start time. The kids and wives were around them, but all of them knew that the three had never seen the concert before, and left them alone. Tori cheered and clapped for Baylee, and couldn’t wait to get her cousin’s album. During the half hour before the Boys’ got on, Tori took pics with her family, and checked her social media. 

“Holy fucking shit” she whispered as the lights went out, and the Boys’ intro played. It was so well done, and when her father and his brother’s came up, Tori screamed like a teenage girl. She hardly moved during the first few songs, she was so transfixed. Her eyes followed her dad, and she just couldn’t believe how damn good her family was. 

The next two hours sped by in a blur, and once the Boys took their final bow, and disappeared, Tori turned to Leigh, a wide-eyed look on her face. 

“I wanna see that again” she whined, and Leigh smiled softly. 

“I bet Tori, but I don’t want to hear the whining. I won’t let your brothers get away with it, and I won’t let you be exempt from it, even though you are 24” Leigh reminded her stepdaughter, who mock pouted. Tori was honestly awestruck, and Leigh gently giving her the reminder, brought her back down to earth. 

“Thanks Leigh, I needed that reminder. And no it doesn’t bother me that you said that, I actually loved hearing that you won’t let me get away with whining. You are my stepmother, and I love you so much. Thank you for marrying my dad and having my brothers. I’ll never be able to call you mom, but I do see you as an important part of my life” Leigh wiped tears as Tori hugged her. 

“I know I will never get Mom, and I am perfectly fine with that. You have a mother, and she raised an amazing daughter who I am proud to call my stepdaughter. I love you Victoria, with all my heart. Can’t wait to see where else you go in life” Leigh kissed Tori’s forehead, and the two made their way backstage to meet up with Howie. 

After saying goodbye to her entire family, Tori, Sarah, and Seth made their way back to their hotels. They had an early morning flight to get to Seattle, and all three were exhausted. Howie and the family made their way to San Jose, on the next stop on the tour. Things went back to normal, with Tori skyping her family every other night, and keeping an eye on social media. 

Time went on, and Tori stayed with WWE, and eventually became WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion. She often had some form of her family at one of her shows, and brought her brothers and Howie and Leigh in when she was in Florida. Any time off, and Tori was down in Florida. It was on one of these trips that she met the love of her life, and she eventually married him, with Howie walking her down the aisle, and a picture of her mom prominently displayed. Tori was thankful every day for that DNA heritage test that changed her life forever, and gave her the family she had been searching desperately for. 


End file.
